Prussia x Reader: Worth Your Time
by florinscale
Summary: One of my best works so far. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

It was comfortably dark in your bedroom. The shades were closed, warding off any sign of light and heat the sun brings. The air conditioner continued to hum and regulate the room temperature. It wasn't too warm or cold under the soft, thick blanket over your body; just cool enough for your liking. You lay there on the bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering when you should go down. Ludwig would usually knock on the door and call you down to eat whenever breakfast was ready, but you developed a habit to wake up a little earlier than that.

Today was different however. You didn't feel nauseous or feverish at all but you just don't want to move. Or rather you can't. You've never felt this exhausted before in you long, long life and it's not a good sign. Although anxiety and regret poked your chest, you weren't so surprised that your body suddenly took for the worse. You were prepared. All you had to do was wait for the inevitable blow to come.


	2. Chapter 1

"Brother, I think you should call her down." Ludwig glanced at the stairway as he spoke, anxiously predicting when (name) would rush down.

"No way!" Gilbert stuffed his cheeks with more pancakes and continued, "Why do I have to do it?"

"You know (name) longer so you're closer to her than me. And please don't talk while you're chewing, it's hard to understand what you're talking about."

"What are you talking about, Lud?" Gilbert swallowed the last bite of his breakfast. "(name)'s like a nice, caring elder sister to you! Me? She hits my awesome, handsome face with a frying pan like Hungary for God's sake!"

Ludwig sighed and flicked his gaze to the stairway again then at his brother's empty plate, smeared with syrup. "I'll make more pancakes if you could persuade (name) to come down."

"With extra maple syrup?" Interest sparked in the albino's red eyes.

"Why not?"

"At your service!" Gilbert declared, instantly jumping to his feet and pounded upstairs.

* * *

The door slammed open and you flinched away from bright sunlight and the person who rudely intruded the room.

"Giilllbeeerrrttt…" you groaned as the intruder strode to your bed. "Get the hell out of my room."

"C'mon, get down already. My pancakes are at stake here."

Gilbert tore away the covers and grabbed your wrist. You hung limply like a ragdoll from his grasp as he effortlessly dragged you up.

"H-hey, you alright? You're all pale. Are you sick?"

"I'm not sick and I don't want to go down." you mumbled as he strained to hear your voice.

"What do you mean you're not sick? You could barely move." He sat next to you at the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, keeping you close. True to his words, you could barely support your body. You gazed into his vermillion eyes. You would smile if you could; it was rare to find earnest concern there.

"I'm not sick." you repeated. "I'm just exhausted."

"Same thing." he stubbornly retorted. "What's wrong, (name)? Why are you so weak all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, I just want to sleep."

"Oh, come on (name). I'm not that stupid. I've known you for a long time and I know you're lying."

You hesitated, your fingers nervously fidgeting on your lap. Should you tell him? How would he take it? Could he cope? You gave a long, tired sigh and made up your mind.

"Have you looked at the world map recently?" you asked, your voice quivering.

"No, not really. Why?" You could see fear lurk in his eyes. He probably already guessed it.

"I'm disappearing, Gil. I'm not a country anymore."


	3. Chapter 2

His mouth gaped open and close like a dying fish on land. His hands trembled as he drew you closer. The red pupils in his eyes were small compared the widened eyelids.

"N-no way right?" His voice also shook. "There's no Prussia on the world map but I'm still alive! You're not going to disappear!" You could tell he was trying to convince you as well as himself.

"At least you still East Germany. You're part of a country, like Feliciano and Lovino. But I have nothing." You felt tears welling up. "Nobody calls my country home anymore, Gil. Nobody remembers me. Even at the height of my history, I'm so, so insignificant compared to others. I'm so small that being gone won't make a difference. I didn't even graze humanity's history."

"No, there are records of your country! At least in some history books, they'll mention you and your people. You may be small, (name), but you're strong. You're a country and you've been so for centuries! You're not going to disappear!" he frantically tried to reason, his eyebrows furrowed in desperation.

"What about the Holy Roman Empire?" you mentioned bleakly. "He disappeared all of a sudden too didn't he? The point is, Gil, no one else has the same nationality as me anymore."

He sat silently, fighting off the tears that threatened to dampen his cheeks.

"I don't want you to go." he whimpered, his head bowed low, staring somberly at his clasped hands.

"Gil…"

He glanced back at your pained (e/c) eyes. Your fumbling fingers unhooked the silver chain necklace hanging from your neck. There was a small figure on the necklace. It was a black and silver eagle. Gilbert's eyes flashed in recognition of the figure. You eased open his palm, gently slipped in the necklace, and closed the hand again.

"Gilbert, don't forget me." Your voice cracked mid-sentence.

"I will never forget you for as long as I live. Nor will I let anyone else forget." He fiercely vowed.

You allowed a small smile to form as you looked at your lap. Your hands were rapidly getting transparent. I really am disappearing, you grimly thought.

"(name)."

Two fingers tilted your face upwards and your lips met Gilbert's. For the first and last time you observed him from this direct angle: the unique platinum tousle of hair, the wistful red eyes sometimes tinged with violet and blue, the pale albino skin, and that arrogant but awesome smile on his face as he cherished the soft touch of your fading lips. His eyes slowly fluttered close like a sleepy child as you kissed back.

"Ich liebe dich, Gil."

With one final smile stretched across your face, you simply vanished forever.


	4. Chapter 3

The brown fields swayed and furled as cold autumn wind swept past. Pulling your cloak against the bitter chill, you strolled through the knee-high grass. It was all quiet except the rustle of grass blades. There were a few lonely trees within sight, spread out across the rolling hills. Deciding it was time for a short break, you swiftly made your way a tree closest to you. Beneath the cobweb of bare branches, you dropped your hunting bow, a half-full quiver of arrows, and a string of small prey you recently caught.

"(NAME)!"

You heard a leaf crunch underfoot from behind then a yank on your neck. Your reflexes kicked in as the string around your neck pressed against your windpipe. About to swing around and kick the attacker's legs, you lost your balance and fell backwards as the feeble string snapped.

"Oof!" The attacker gasped as you ended up sitting on his stomach and driving the air out of his lungs.

"Serves you right for sneaking up on me, Gil." You smirked before scooting off to sit next to the young nation.

"Hah, say whatever you want, (name)." Gilbert indignantly growled and shook his head like a wet dog. "Anyway, what do I have here in my hand?" He held up the figure swinging on the broken string.

"Give it back, that's mine!" You lunged for the figure but he raised it away from your grasp.

"Serves _you_ right for sitting on me." He laughed in triumph. "I'll take this as a token of loyalty to the awesome me and my awesome country." The necklace hung tantalizingly in front of your face for a second before he tucked it safely in his pocket with a grin you'd be honored to wipe off.

"Not quite a knight despite your name." you muttered.

"Hey, even though my country's name is Teutonic Knights that doesn't mean I have to be one." Gilbert retorted.

"Too bad that can't happen."

"I'm still awesome though."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

"No way."

"Yes way!"

Scowling faces centimeters apart, you were ready to go into blows. The sky abruptly rumbled and a flash of white streaked through the darkening clouds. The scent of rain hit your nose.

"We should get home." you remarked as you shifted away and retrieved for your items.

"Yeah, we should." Gilbert stood up and stretched while adding, "Are you sure you don't want your precious necklace back?"

"No it's not important." You mumbled and stalked away from the arrogant laugh from behind.

_I'll get it back someday_, you vowed.


	5. Chapter 4

Dissolution of Prussia

These three words weighed heavier than an anchor in your heart. As soon as you've heard that America, England, France, and the Soviet Union decided to erase Prussia from the map, you immediately thought of Gilbert. It was a cruel punishment to do to any nation. You never want to imagine having nothing left but to anticipate when they themselves will disappear like their lost country.

As soon as your country was stable enough after the war, you immediately packed your bags and went to the German brothers' house.

Both Germans were badly battered, which was expected. But what concerned you more than scars and bandages was Gilbert's dull red gaze. Whenever you visited him, he would stare blankly at you for a while, as if struggling to remember who was sitting in front of him. He frequently switched between that absent phase and reality, worrying you to no end. Every single time before entering his room, you'd silently pray that you won't find yourself alone in there.

Twisting the knob and easing door open, you poked your head into Gilbert's room. It was neatly kept as usual. Paperwork and letters were stacked on the old, elaborate wooden desk at the corner of the room, or kept under lock and key in the file cabinet. Books and diaries new and old were shelved chronically in two bookshelves by the bed. Gilbert sat cross-legged on the bed with a small chest about the size of a shoebox. Tiny flecks of dust and dirt stained the clean, white bed sheets.

"What are you doing, Gil?" You asked gently, not unlike a nurse addressing a bedridden patient in a hospital ward.

You expected a lag, but he surprised you when he answered straightaway, "Just looking at some old stuff I found. Look at this." Gilbert fervently held up a necklace with a dangling black-and-silver eagle figure.

"Oh!" You moved forward to take the necklace from his hands and coil the small silver chain around your hands. Though you forgot about the necklace throughout the years, it could still provoke a distant memory that made you part from it. "I remember this. You took it from me didn't you?"

"You didn't fight back." Even though Gilbert smugly argued, his eyes brightened at the memory.

"And I forgot about it soon enough. It was nice of you to change that broken string to something sturdier." You laughed while admiring the eagle. You suddenly frowned. There was something about this little figure that raised your eyebrows. "Hey, Gil?"

"Yeah?"

"This eagle and the one on your flag, it's quite similar."

"You just noticed that? You really do have a bad memory." He scornfully snorted. "I made a few tweaks on my awesome design, but it's the same eagle nonetheless."

"Why would you choose this eagle?" Curiosity churned inside your chest. Surely if you forgot about the figure, wouldn't Gilbert easily forget about it as well?

"I… just like eagles I guess." He met your gaze for a second before looking away. You instantly knew he only told half the truth. His cheeks were tinged with pink and his ruby eyes flickered restlessly. He was shy. Wait. What? Gilbert being all coy and hesitant? That's near impossible! You almost broke out laughing at that ridiculous thought.

"I see." You simply replied, careful to stifle your amusement.

"Do you want it back?" Gilbert awkwardly offered, scratching the back of his head.

"It's up to you. I mean it's originally mine but it's yours at the moment."

There was a brief silence as he pondered. Heaving a long, defeated sigh, he finally spoke in a subdued voice, "You can have it as a reminder of me."

"A reminder?" The negativity in his words made your heart drop freefall into imaginary hole in your chest.

"Just in case I, you know, disappear all of a sudden." He said sullenly, his eyes acquiring the faraway look again.

"Disappear?" you squeaked. "Aren't you part of Germany?"

"Well, yes I am East Germany but I'm not specifically Prussia anymore right?"

"You're still a part of Germany, Gil. That's the important part." you desperately reasoned. As much as Gilbert was annoying and conceited, losing a fellow country was never easy… especially someone you were close to.

"I could still vanish in thin air someday or another." he faintly retorted.

"Are you just… going to give up? Just like that?" you whispered.

"I can't do anything about it."

"At least try to be positive." You muttered, knowing full well it was heartlessly unfair of you to say that, but outrage and sorrow threatened to shatter your heart to a million pieces. "What about other people, Gil? Ludwig, Francis, Antonio, Elizaveta and all those other people. How will they feel?" Your voice was on the verge of shaking. How will _I_ feel?

"They're going to have to live without me." Nostalgia melted the seclusion in his eyes and he smirked longingly. "I guess the Bad Touch Trio's not going to be true to its name anymore. Eliza won't have anyone to hit her frying pan on too. Also Ludwig, he wouldn't be just West Germany in the end."

"Do you want all of what you've said to happen?"

"No!" he blurted, startling his gaze back to its sharper self. "Of course I don't want it to happen!"

"Then you'd better not disappear."

With that, you turned on your heels and hastily strode across the room towards the door. You will absolutely not let Gilbert see the emotions on your face.

"(name)!" Gilbert called, making you pause right before the door. Barely perceptible, you heard him say, "If I do disappear, don't forget me alright?"

"How could I ever forget you, you dummkopf?"

He chuckled, even though he couldn't see the crying red face and the streaming tears.

You clutched the necklace tightly in your hands and drew a deep breath. "Don't you _dare_ disappear before such a small country like me. You got that, Kingdom of Prussia?"

In reply was a fit of laughter you haven't heard for a long, long time.


	6. Chapter 5

_Don't you dare disappear before such a small country like me. You got that, Kingdom of Prussia?_

It was sadly ironic how actually ended up. (name) really did go before he did.

Gilbert licked his lips. Regardless of the past five years since (name)'s disappearance, he could still savor the touch of her last kiss. The cold, agonized pulse in his hollow heart still ached unbearably, but there was a dim sensation of reassurance that warmed him too. He remembered that moment crystal clear. Just before he closed his eyes, he glimpsed the hint of growing smile on (name). She was happy until the last moment. That's what mattered. The instant she ceased to exist, he realized how much she really meant to him. She wasn't just a childhood friend or merely another country he knew; she was much, much more. It was regrettably too late to confess this to (name) though.

"Gilbert," Ludwig's fingers rapped against the window, "we're here. Stop daydreaming and come out."

"Oh… yeah." Gilbert absently responded and got out of the car.

Fiddling with a messy excuse for a tie, Gilbert listlessly followed Ludwig through the office building that held the annual conference of the nations. He used to come here every year, but ever since (name) disappeared, he stopped coming. He could never get used to the fact that (name) would never be at these meetings anymore. The only reason he was here now was because of all the persuasion he got. Antonio, Francis, and even Ludwig had coaxed him to come. They all said it would definitely be worth it, which seemed interesting since conferences usually never got far from the pointless ruckus.

The hall in front of the conference room was bustling with nations. The usual disputes were already commencing. Trying his best to block out the noise, Gilbert pulled out (name)'s eagle necklace from his coat pocket. He kept it safe and close at all times, just like the centuries before he returned the necklace back to (name). As he examined the eagle figure again for God-knows-how-many-times, someone bumped into his arm, making him drop the silver necklace.

"Watch where you're going!" Gilbert snapped while the person who bumped into him crouched on the carpeted floor. She straightened up again with the necklace in hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

The world froze.

Gilbert dragged his gaze in disbelief over the young woman in front of him. She had the same length and shade of hair, set up in the usual style. The familiar spark of life lit up her bright, intelligent eyes. Her skin retained a similar shade and the smooth complexion. The accents and pitch in her tone didn't change despite where she came from. Even her clothing and fashion sense were no different.

"(n-name)?"

"Oh, have we met before?" She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I can't seem to recall your name though."

"G-gilbert." He cleared his throat. "Gilbert Beilschmidt." It felt rather strange to introduce himself to her again.

"Beilschmidt? So you're Ludwig's brother, Prussia, aren't you?" She queried, earning a nod from Gilbert. "You weren't here last time but I've just been approved as a country a year and a half ago, so I'm still new around here." (name) informed him proudly, but her face slowly turned to puzzlement when she noticed the necklace was still on her outstretched hand. "You're not going to take it back?"

Gilbert hesitated for a moment, his mind still struck with bewilderment, then a grin stretched across his face. "You know what? You can have it."

(name)'s jaw dropped open at the abruptness of his offer. "What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"I-" she paused, her eyes flickering awkwardly as she coiled the necklace around her hands. "Thank you." (name) switched her gaze to the black eagle with its silver wingtips and talons. "This is quite old, you must've had it for a long time."

"Yeah…" Gilbert sighed, "I've had it for quite a long time."

"Mr. Beilshmidt-"

"Gilbert." The Prussian intervened. It was uncomfortably queer for (name) to call him so formally. "Just call me Gilbert. I don't like all the formal stuff."

"Gilbert, then." she corrected, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Are you free anywhere this week?"

"I'm free every day actually."

"Oh, that's convenient. Should we go out together sometime?" A moment later, she blushed furiously, realizing the words that slid out of her mouth. "N-n-n-not that it's a date or anything!" she stuttered, "I just want to find out more about being a country."

"Of course!" he laughed. _How long has it been since the last time he laughed so genuinely?_ "However, I'm not exactly a country anymore."

"You should have some experience at least, Mr. Kingdom of Prussia." (name) insisted.

"You can ask the awesome me on anything!" Gilbert declared loudly.

"Then I shall look forward to it." She giggled in delight.

The doorway to the gigantic conference room creaked open, alerting everyone it was time to begin the meeting. (name) and Gilbert exchanged a glance as the crowd started to move.

"I guess we'll have to talk later, Gilbert. See you soon!" (name) excused herself and made her way to the open doors. Before she fully merged in with the crowd, he caught the flash of a smile on her face.

_Even their smiles are identical._

"So… Gil." A Spanish-accented voice reached his ears.

"Was it worth your time to come, mon ami?" Another accented voice came from beside him, this time French.

Gilbert could clearly imagine his two friends sniggering and taking pictures on their phones (and saving it for later use as blackmail) while they spied on his conversation with (name). Though he would never admit it out loud, he was grateful for all their consistent pestering.

"Ja." He breathed. "It certainly was."


End file.
